-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Your Internet wo n't be any slower than usual on Wednesday , but it might look like it is .

Top sites on the Internet , including Netflix and Reddit , will be displaying a constant `` loading '' symbol -- the so-called `` loading pinwheel '' or , alternately , the Spinning Wheel of Death .

It 's part of a protest called `` Internet Slowdown Day , '' a push against the U.S. government 's support for so-called Internet fast lanes .

The Federal Communications Commission in May proposed allowing broadband providers to charge companies like Amazon and Netflix for prioritized access to consumers . The proposal is now open for public comment and could be changed before a final vote to implement it .

As part of the Internet Slowdown Day protest , the websites will also include a prompt to contact your lawmakers about the FCC proposal .

`` It 's always hard to explain complicated topics to a lot of people , and the FCC made it harder by trying to fool the public into thinking their proposal was real net neutrality , when it was actually what the cable and phone lobbyists always asked for , '' said organizer David Segal , executive director of civil liberties group Demand Progress and a former Rhode Island state representative .

Net neutrality refers to the principle that high-speed Internet providers should treat all types of Web content equally , which led to a set of rules the FCC approved in 2010 , designed to keep the companies that hold the keys to the Web from playing favorites .

` Pay to play ' on the Web ? Net neutrality explained

Sites including Netflix , Reddit , Vimeo , Etsy , Upworthy and Digg plan to take part in this week 's demonstration , which will last from midnight Wednesday to midnight Thursday .

Broadband Internet providers , many of them cable companies , argue that as businesses providing a service , they have a right to charge websites . Netflix accounts for around a third of data consumption online during peak hours , and Internet providers say the company should therefore help foot the bill for delivery .

But those fees would be easier to absorb for the Web 's biggest , and richest , sites , activists say . Smaller , less profitable sites would have a tough time competing .

Segal said altering the FCC plan is an uphill battle , but he 's optimistic .

`` We can never ever underestimate the power of cable and phone companies in D.C. , but we definitely have a shot of winning , '' he said . `` We have the momentum and are building impressive support in the public , industry , and policymakers . ''

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Websites will participate in Internet Slowdown Day on Wednesday

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Demonstration is meant to urge government to keep Web open and free

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Reddit , Vimeo and Etsy among those participating

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Sites wo n't actually slow down , but warn that they could